It is generally accepted that an aircraft wing must have span with commensurately moderate chord and thickness, for both aerodynamic and structural reasons. Aerodynamically, lift is achieved by having an upper surface of greater length than the lower surface, and to the end that negative and positive pressures are applied. Structural strength is then achieved by utilizing the thickness necessitated by the disproportionate oppositely curved upper and lower surfaces to accommodate a spar or beam. Throughout the past, aircraft have been designed with concentrated weight application and thrust points with respect to the supporting wing, necessitating heavy wing structures to cope with the developed forces. That is, ordinary aircraft have central fuselages from which the wings are cantilevered and the useful load carried by the root or center section structure that is highly stressed; although it is recognized that such items as fuel cells and the like can be advantageously distributed throughout the wing. Also, ordinary aircraft have forward thrust as well as the weight of each engine applied at localized centers. These considerations of applied loads have also required heavy wing structures wherein thickness of the wing has been minimized for speed performance by reducing the frontal area pressures. Consequently, wings are normally of thin cross section with structures sufficient to support an external fuselage and external engine units or thrust pods; and all of which establishes the aforesaid concentrations of applied loading. Therefore, it is a general object of this invention to provide an aerodynamic and structural integration of aircraft components combined within a wing and wherein the applied loads are distributed throughout the wing span.
The intake of air into jet thrust engines has been accommodated by localized air scoop and slot openings, and generally with the least change possible to the aerodynamics of the fuselage or wing involved. In other words, air induction into jet thrust engines has not been utilized to advantageously affect the lift at the wing surfaces. With the present invention it is an object to advantageously utilize the suction effect of a jet thrust engine to create separate air flows with respect to both the upper and lower wing surfaces, thereby taking mutually effective support from the upper and lower air flows while utilizing the ram air effect from the air ahead of the wing. In effect there is provided two leading edges of disproportionately smaller frontal area as compared with the leading edge of a conventional wing of the same thickness.
An object of this invention is to totally utilize the movement of air through and over (and under) a wing, wherein all air necessary for engine propulsion is advantageously employed to divert the mutually effective air flows over and under the wing surfaces that are separated by both the intake and exhaust slots as hereinafter described. With the present invention, the induced air between the upper and lower leading edges of the intake slot is utilized by the thrust engine or engines, with single flow engines or by-pass engines.
Another object of this invention is to provide an aircraft wing wherein the total exhaust is advantageously utilized between the trailing edges of the slot nozzle and also forwardly thereof from discharge openings over and/or under controlling surfaces. It is contemplated that fan jet thrust engines be employed with the hot exhaust gases confined to discharge through the trailing edge slot, and with heated cooling air normally embracing the hot exhaust gases within the slot for attitude and shock wave control, and the slot nozzle adjusted for fast high thrust flight, and diverted by wing flaps or the like for slow low thrust flight.
It is still another object of this invention to provide a thrust means by which boundary layer air is induced to flow longitudinally, regardless of swept and/or delta wing configurations, over the wing chord without the aid of fences and rails or rudders. With the present invention there is the concentration of high speed gases flowing between the coextensive trailing edges of the upper and lower wing surfaces, and this induces longitudinal flow over and under the wing.
In accordance with the foregoing objectives, it is also an object to provide a wing structure wherein there is a multiplicity of jet thrust engines, each of which is manifolded to serve complementary leading and trailing edge portions of the wing. Further, it is an object to provide a wing of increased total thickness, but with reduced effective frontal area at the upper and lower leading edges of the intake slot. Together, these objectives provide for a high strength wing structure with applied loads distributed throughout the span. And still further, the separation of upper and lower wing surfaces with the propulsion flow therebetween provides for the accommodation of the propulsion engines and passenger and/or pay load substantially without alteration of the wing surfaces or disturbance of the boundary layer air and all to the end that a most efficient aircraft wing results.